Santos Lashes-out at Republicans, Faces House Ethics Committee

By Rupert Deedes

The House Ethics Committee has formed a panel to investigate the multiple misconduct claims involving newly-elected Congressman and fraudster George Santos of Queens. In response, Santos is lashing-out at Republicans in Congress, and obsessing over his potential loss of lucrative "book and movie" deals.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last month that if Ethics finds “that he has broken the law, then we will remove him.”

The House Ethics Committee, chaired by Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), will focus on four areas: Possible unlawful activity during Santos’ House campaign last year; conflict of interest violations; missing or inaccurate information by Santos on his House financial statements; and a complaint of Santos' sexually groping a staffer.

Santos is also under investigation by the US Department of Justice and FBI, which has interviewed victims of Santos' pets charity fraud, $15,000 in Pennsylvania check fraud, and Santos' role in a criminal Credit Card and ID theft ring that was run out of Santos' former Florida apartment.

The Ethics Committee investigation comes while Santos is now lashing out and attacking fellow Republicans.

Freshman US Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-Hempstead), from the neighboring 4th District, proposed bill to bar members of Congress from profiting off of their fraudulent actions.

Santos has been obsessing in recent weeks about "book and movie deals" - and over other people signing deals - singling out Newsday's Mark Cuisano - who Santos attacked for allegedly signing a lucrative book deal over Santos.

Three other freshmen Republican Congressmen from New York - Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Nick LaLota - all of whom have also called for Santos’s resignation, were planning to co-sponsor the bill.

Santos, responded to the proposed bill by personally attacking D’Esposito in a very nasty way, calling him a "bad cop who gives cops a bad name..."

D'Esposito served as a New York Police Department officer, before being elected in 2017 to the Hempstead Town Board.

Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk) was quick to come to D’Esposito's defense:

"George Santos has disgraced Holocaust victims, 9-11 victims, military veterans with PTSD and many more. Now he’s taking aim at a House Republican who served the NYPD with honor," stated LaLota. "Santos is a terrible person and should be thrown out of the Republican conference and Congress ASAP.”

Congressman Brandon Williams, a Republican from upstate New York, also defended D’Esposito, stating that “Anthony D'Esposito has more integrity in his pinky than George Santos has in his entire body.”

A motion to remove a sitting member of the House requires only a two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives. A clear majority of the House has already called for Santos to be expelled.